Comedy and music don't always mix for me but when it works it can be pretty spectacular, which is what this record is in terms of putting a smile on your face and having a good time. Hot Dad is a one man band from America who's music focuses around a quirky and crude sense of humor. What he does so well on this release is parody with sparkly, colorful harmonized music that's lighthearted, simple yet executed with a sense of excellence that lets the underlying joke prevail, as opposed the mocking a genre with poor instrumentals, something Ive heard done to often.
So these songs are about wrestlers but they could simply be parodies of entrance songs with each track singing praises to the wrestler in question. All the tracks are about 90 seconds or less which is fantastic, the joke doesn't get stale and we swiftly move from one to the next. Each of the tracks have a distinctly 80's pop vibe about them but in an odd way, one that lacks the sense of cheese that came from the era's excessive use of electronic instruments that didn't have quite the polish they needed. Thanks to much care in composition and quality these melodies and hooks feel rather charming and the cheese simply reinforces the jokes which get increasingly crude and explicit as the record draws on.
The record starts with its best and perhaps the joke tires as the record draws on but it genuinely feels like the first twelve or so are considerably better than the rest. Hot Dad's light, fresh and poppy voice are a constant source of joy, dropping in higher ranged notes with typically pop vocal hooks and catches that again go for quality to reinforce the joke. There's a fair few songs that feel very familiar, "The Rock" reminds me of Thin Lizzy. It could be that these songs are also covers however radio pop music has never my strong point. Its a terrific record that's worth a listen if you want a chuckle, after a fair few listens the joke still holds on but the weaker tracks show themselves.
So these songs are about wrestlers but they could simply be parodies of entrance songs with each track singing praises to the wrestler in question. All the tracks are about 90 seconds or less which is fantastic, the joke doesn't get stale and we swiftly move from one to the next. Each of the tracks have a distinctly 80's pop vibe about them but in an odd way, one that lacks the sense of cheese that came from the era's excessive use of electronic instruments that didn't have quite the polish they needed. Thanks to much care in composition and quality these melodies and hooks feel rather charming and the cheese simply reinforces the jokes which get increasingly crude and explicit as the record draws on.
The record starts with its best and perhaps the joke tires as the record draws on but it genuinely feels like the first twelve or so are considerably better than the rest. Hot Dad's light, fresh and poppy voice are a constant source of joy, dropping in higher ranged notes with typically pop vocal hooks and catches that again go for quality to reinforce the joke. There's a fair few songs that feel very familiar, "The Rock" reminds me of Thin Lizzy. It could be that these songs are also covers however radio pop music has never my strong point. Its a terrific record that's worth a listen if you want a chuckle, after a fair few listens the joke still holds on but the weaker tracks show themselves.
Rating: 6/10